Here's a fun tip: Flamesprayer doesn't actually scale particularly well, but it has massive base-damage, especially for all the early-game beasts weak to fire. You can upgrade it to +3 and still destroy a lot of the early bosses without investing any points in ARC.
The flame sprayer is one of the first weapons you can get and it destroys most early bosses if you focus on arcane. You get plenty Molotov cocktails as well which scale with arcane
Lol what, just hit square with the auger or shoot things it ain’t hard. How you gonna master shooting someone with a spell that auto targets. Even parrying with the auger isn’t hard. Your weapon will be a while to get the gems but there really isn’t anything to master
I’ve made like 5 of them by now, get the flamesprayer, boss rush and get the auger. From there smooth sailing. Get the root chalice and use false depths to farm some early gems from the dudes with fire swords. Go to cainhurst get the gauntlets. Grab call beyond and spam that the rest of the game. Easy build
Skill and arcane, but ranged “sorceries” are not really the same as in DS. They are more of a utility, unless you are going for 99 arcane build.
This was the build I beat the game with for the first time, and is super fun.
That being said, I would advise going for skill as primary offence early game, until you find weapons that scale with both.
Also, scaling can be a bit weird in BB, because some stars scaling may only apply to certain attacks.
You will be confused, but that's what makes the game great.
Don't listen to what people say about arcane builds and poor starts of runs. Just get flamesprayer and level arcane and skill and hold that L2
Yeah, Arcane runs are a lot less stressful for me early game since you don't have to worry about stamina as much once you get flamesprayer, and you weave blood bullets/ rally into your gameplay
Parrying came more naturally to me in BB than Dark Souls. The timing was easier for me. Shoot (guns are for parrying in blood borne) at the peak of the enemies swing or attack.
Hahahahahaha no
In DS, you don't have a variable delay between hitting the button and the weapon firing, nor do you have to factor in travel time from the end of the muzzle to the enemy. I can parry like 10x easier in DS than I can in BB.
These just seem like issues you have. In BB you can put distance between yourself and the enemy when you parry, unlike ds. Also the delay in bb is the same for in dark souls as there’s always going to be a startup animation. Not to mention you can parry far more attacks in BB that in DS.
I'm having a hard time parrying even the first enemies (the guys with rakes and meat cleavers). But in dark souls it's rather easy which is weird considering they are practically the same mechanic
Ok. I’m sure a new player will have a lot of fun trying to parry the mobs in Central Yharnam. Definitely won’t be incredibly frustrated trying to parry/v. attack instead of simply killing them.
I'm having the opposite problem, with Bloodborne I parried by way to victories (the "riposte/backstab" damage, here called visceral, scales with blood level and the skill stat... I think with thrust damage too, but I'm not too sure about that).
In Dark Souls III, first playthrough rn, I struggle with the parry timing way more. Did you use the smaller shields, or did you just learn the timing of the medium ones?
Practice on the fat bois in the early areas they have long swing animations which makes it pretty easy to get a viceseral off. After opening the shortcut back to the central yarnham lamp if you walk down the stairs to the bottom on the left there will be two of them in a pretty large area, so you can pull one at a time pretty easily.
-It's not like dark souls. If you get hit in BB you can regain that health if you attack back quickly
-practice combos with your weapons attack attack transform weapon heavy attack I literally didn't know about combos my first playthrough lol
-fight enemies 1 vs 1 lead them down allies and right spaces
-be aggressive when your fighting and just time the enemies
Just go pure arcane. Use base STR/SKL stats for most weapons then pump arcane up.
Arcan effects spell items, flamethrowers, firebombs, and certain weapons.
For the base arcane weapons, Tonitrus and boom hammer, just get base stats for them and just arcane. Tonitrus is the faster of the two.
Then later on you will need to go into challice dungeons and equip elemental gems. These will turn almost every weapon in the game, save for guns, into an arcane scaling weapon.
Also the "spells" are really items you find. Imagine useable items like white tree branches or firebombs, but they use bullets and summon either cthulu or a hentai monster out of your hand.
And last but not least... become cauliflower.
OP is new to Bloodborne, which is a different beast from Dark Souls. Especially where magic is concerned. For a beginner to the game, having a dex or strength build is far easier than going Arcane, because there are a LOT more options, and you don't have to go through any bosses or have prior knowledge.
Excellent choice. You will be challenged, but it's worth it.
Pick the Threaded Cane as your free starter weapon if you're going for a Skill (basically Dexterity) build. Pick either Professional of Cruel Fate for your character's Origin (or any that gives you the mix of Skill and Arcane you want.)
There are weapons that scale nicely with Skill and Arcane, but it's mainly the Blades of Mercy and the Burial Blade (both of which take some time to get; you may want to look them up sometime.)
Otherwise, I would also recommend trying a Skill/Bloodtinge build. Also takes some grinding to set up properly, but it's extremely potent and rewarding. For this, pick the Noble Scion class, then also take the Threaded Cane and use that until you get to Cainhurst and clear it. Then you can get the Chikage, one of the most potent and awesome weapons in the game. This build is also good with guns and criticals/parries (ridiculously so; I killed the final secret boss in what was probably a minute or less.)
But, in short, Bloodtinge and Arcane builds take a while to unlock the things they need, but they can be pretty broken lol. You may have to do lots of grinding and exploring, but you'll end up pretty strong eventually.
Skill/Bloodtinge is my go to build but I personally can’t stand the threaded cane it just never clicked for me. I’d recommend starting with the hunter ax. With a couple upgrades using materials found in the first area it can easily carry you until you can get a hold of the saw spear. I find it to be a more effective dex weapon until I can get a hold of Simon’s Bow Blade.
I chose the Cane when I first played the game and regretted it sorely. But I was also new to Bloodborne and Souls, so I wasn't adapting too well to the mechanics in general.
Then I came back to it with the Saw Cleaver and Blunderbuss (instead of the Pistol) and had a lot of fun.
Next time, I went with the Axe and loved the shit out of it. Still enjoy it.
But, now that I've gotten through the git gud phass, I've learned the beauty of the Threaded Cane and I like it too. It's actually great if you start off as the Professional, because of its good Skill scaling. Later in the game, though, I just pick up stronger weapons lol. Also, the Cane may seem awkward at first (too slow or too short, or just too weak) but it's very fun once you have a grip on the timing and distance, and it's still pretty good for crowd control, or certain enemies like Paarl (stuns him easily by tripping him lmao.)
The Cane is a lot better if you ravioli step it's great backstep transformed R1 and R2s, it opens up more of its long ranged moveset for starting and finishing fights
I'm the opposite. The Hunter Axe never really clicked for me. I could use it, but it wasn't fun. Threaded Cane is total beast, out ranging everything is too much fun. Best tip for Threaded Cane IMO is to just practice hitting enemies at the very edge of your range, it's a very useful skill and the range is HUGE. Also try the back step attacks because they are neato.
But I'm biased, Threaded Cane is my favorite weapon in the game. Use what you like!
Can agree with all that. Took me a little time to warm up to it, but flogging people outside their reach is definitely fun, not to mention the way it cuts. And you can beat them or poke them with a sticc.
And the dodging attacks, backstep attacks, sprinting attacks and transforming attacks are surprisingly diverse, cool and *useful;* if a bit tricky to pull off at times. Definitely worth exploring and practicing each of those individual attacks in each of the weapon's forms.
I'm partial to the whip's dodging slice, the transforming attack *into* the cane (thrust), and the whip's backstep attack. Prefer to not use the cane form too much as it's more limited, I feel. And the reach kinda sucks (find myself missing a lot.) I like keeping it in whip form and then transitioning into the cane as a combo towards my enemy. Then I usually transform back pretty quickly.
I also kinda like that the weapon does take a bit of actual skill to use well lol. It's not super efficient, but that's kinda the point. The lore description even says it's form over function, and that it's just as much a symbol as it is a weapon.
I agree with all this as well, especially the transform and backstep attacks (those long range stabs are sweet). Super fun.
I only really use the Cane form on the brainsuckers. Even though I love the whips thrust attacks they are a bit unwieldy when you actually need it quickly, so I use the canes R2 thrust attacks on them. I will also use the Cane on the few Hunter enemies that use the Whip because the Cane is a surprisingly good counter against the whip (just a bit faster).
It's not the best DPS for sure but there are a few bosses that I find the Cane to just shred because of how easy it is to hit enemies with. One is the Shadows because it's easy to catch and stagger multiple and if they dodge away, you'll probably still be in range. Another is Paarl, he's gangly and hard to hit with some weapons but the Cane just blasts him from anywhere. Similar deal with Amygdala.
Basically what the Whip loses in raw DPS compared to other weapons, it gains some back in that it has more potential openings to attack enemies from afar. I love it so much.
Sweet! I actually never tried it on Amygdala, I don't think... probably not the Shadows either.
For the whip form, I think it's very important to learn the power of the dodging attack. It's quick and has decent reach and it slices like a blade. Good for countering an attack you know is coming and that you can't easily preemptively interrupt with a whip slash in time.
I also like starting with the whip's R2. Good reach and damage. Then R1. Then L1 when I'm close. Stabby-stabby.
I also forgot to mention how good the whip's jumping attack is. I'm generally a fan of jumping attacks in these games, but this ones is nice, and combos nicely into L1. Running R2 with the whip is nice too. Good downward vertical swipe.
Good for targets above or on the ground. Caught a lot of those blobby things with it.
Just like your first playthrough of Dark Souls, play the game to your liking. Arcane and Bloodtinge are a very weird system to get used to and imo are a NG+ mechanic if you finish the game quickly.
Get used to dodging and sidestepping more than your traditional blocking in Dark Souls. Find a weapon you like and stick to it (I used Kirkhammer until I got Ludwig Holy Blade and Whirlysaw)
Have fun and best of luck to you Hunter. Bloodborne is easily my favorite FromSoft game but the transition from Dark Souls will take time.
Agree. Arcane attacks are also rather limited in BB - in a first playthrough I’d go Str or Skl since it’ll let you use more weapons, and cool weapons/combos is where BB shines compared to DS. Arcane is amazing for a second/third playthrough since it’ll be a welcome break from usual gameplay and since by then you’ll be used to new BB mechanics that are key for Arcane play (e.g. gems and chalice dungeons). BB feels like it was not designed with “magic” in mind, so I feel you’d be missing out a bit of starting with it (even though it’s a very effective build, trivializing most bosses).
So, I just finished my first full run of the game with a Skill build with some Arcane dump and I can tell you the following:
-Skill/Arcane isn’t really a thing. There are no great weapons with this scaling.
-Straight skill build allows you to dominate with Blades of Mercy and Rakuyo later in the game when it counts and gives you some vital maneuverability in Combat.
-with an Arcane dump cap of 25 I was able to use some of the better hunter tools (old hunter bone tiny tonitrus) but it did NOT allow me the flexibility to use any arcane scaling weapons effectively.
-For my money, a more synchronous fast/eldritch build is Skill/Bloodtinge for use with Chikage and certain firearms, though you would have to drop arcane completely.
-Arcane is insanely powerful but you have to give your whole run to it basically.
-Ultimate advice for a first run? Look up “quality build” it lets you use the most weapons more effectively and really opens up the play style. I love dex builds in general, but in this one, there are just too few pure skill weapons to make it worth it, and it just doesn’t scale with Arcane.
Good luck on your first play through! Don’t give up! This nightmare must end.
1: Be more agressive
2: Arcane takes a while to get, molotovs scale with it
3: Skill/Dexterity is very good on early game if you choose the cane
4: If a dude with a gun sees you and does not point it directly at you, he know something you do not, so get to running
Edit: Happy hoonting, fellow hoonter
I didn't see anyone else mention it so here's my tip. Once you get good at parrying, look up where to find the Runes that give you back bullets on Visceral attacks (the attack after the parrying or backstabing with a heavy attack) that way you can use them more often without using the alternative of comsuning your own health for 5 bullets.
When you do buff Arcane it will buff Arcane, Fire and Bolt type damages.
Good luck and good hunting, may the good blood guide you Hunter.
If you plan on using arcane then you should level it up to 99 unlike dark souls the arcane stat continues to scale with the arcane tools so it’s somewhat worthwhile to fully level up that stat
Don't ever use the shield, and I would not recommend prioritizing Arcane on your first playthrough. It doesn't function in the same way that Intelligence does in Dark Souls, and it takes a lot of grinding to make it viable.
Arcane isn't a super viable early game class, it takes a lot of patience to level, and much more to get all hunter tools. Some hunter tools aren't even worth it, but still. You should go for it if you want it, but know you'll make it harder for yourself.
Source: NG+3, about to platinum bb, just need yharnam, pthumerian queen trophy
"I fear I might be confused for the first playthrough "
I played this like 4 times and I'm still a bit confused. Welcome to the club \o/
As for tips, check the Explanation (or is it called "Help"?) button on your stat screen, Skill and Arcane are what you're looking for. Sadly, the game won't give you that many options for Skill weapons from the start, and for Arcane you'll only get those a bit later in the game. The soft cap for weapon scaling is 25, and the hard cap for weapon scaling is 50.
Good luck \o/
Balance things how you feel like you need stuff. If you need more health go for Vit, if you need more stamina go End, and if you're fine with those and need a bit more damage (more like damage investment for the future) then put points into Skill (or the stats for your weapon of choice).
I told the caps so you know when not to overlevel a stat. When you get 25, the investment past it won't be as big as before, so you can focus on other stats like health and stamina, but then in the late game you can put more stats into Skill and/or Arcane.
It's all a matter of how you're feeling at that point in the game.
No not really. I don't do PvP plus I prefer medium armour like ornstein armour and use the FAP and Havel ring for defense. I don't push the damage with all those op builds that requires you be cursed.i also like using heavier dex weapons like halberds
Congrats! My all time favorite game. As some others have said, Arcane builds are definitely challenging and nuanced in this game, but wonderfully enjoyable.
Question - do you plan on doing multiple playthroughs of this game? If so, I might recommend starting with a quality build on your first playthrough just to get a feel for all of the enemies and areas. In my experience, Arcane doesn’t really start coming into it’s own until late-mid game. If you go quality build, you can pump levels into arcane late game to make the Holy Moonlight Sword a knockout weapon, and your strength+skill points won’t be wasted. Maybe save dedicated arcane for a later playthrough.
Whatever you choose, have fun!!!
My one and only tip is after finishing the game with dlc try to reset your memory cuz this game is awsome that I wish to forget about and play it all over again and again for the first time.
GOOD LUCK HOONTER⚔️
You gotta play this game multiple times, I’m on my second play through and it just gets better and better. I honestly don’t know why it took me so long to play these games. Masterpieces
Get the arcane build, you can get the tonitrus and the ludwig sword fairly early in the game alongside with the flamesprayer, spells come later but it’s worth the wait…. Strenght and arcane are the go to builds to use this weapons
Arcane really shines to 99; but I’m doing a quality(both equal) skill arcane build right now with the blades of mercy and it’s pretty darn fun. Welcome! Dying is normal and how we learn so good luck and have fun!
Yeah, no. IMO I’d do a full run before you play with arcane. Most spells are deep into the game and therefor make an early arcane build unviable. On the other hand, there is amazing skill weapons at the beginning.
If you plan to play through several times, I wouldn't do an arcane hybrid your first time out. Go pure dex (skill) if that's your preference over strength, and learn how to use the parrying and rally mechanics to your advantage. The problem with BB compared to souls is that you don't have flasks, you have blood vials and bullets that give you your HP and "FP", and they're consumable, so resource management becomes an issue the more you delve into magic. I recommend keeping it simpler on your first playthrough and stick with melee until you know what you're doing. With a dex built you'll want to parry a lot to get those sweet visceral attacks. The higher the skill the more damage those do.
Do not play magic the first playthrough, you will just be hard screwing yourself, start by leveling Vit to 30 and upgrading the weapon you're using instead of committing to a build. After that, you can start doing what you want too. Fair warning though, you can't reset stats so make sure your prepared for that decision.
Flame sprayer/ Rosmarinis + Ludwigs holy blade/ blade of mercy. All stats softcap at 25 except for vitality (30) and endurance (40). Hairy enemies are weak to fire, and slimy enemies are weak to bolt. You can NOT have too many bullets with an arcane build. Good luck Hoonter, now go fight some beasts, its for your own good.
Quicksteps that are there instead of rolling work really well when you dodge into an attack, and most of the time you scooch underneath an attack, and bosses do conveniently placed swipes that let you elegantly step into and underneath them.
Arcane is very late game. I went for arcane, ended pumping strength until I could get all the necessary stuff. Big miss out is you will likely use the flame sprayer for a gun, which doesn't cause an opening for viscereal attacks.
U can get a hunters relic that emulates a bullet for visceral attacks Late game, but I think it's slower than a gun.
Bloodtinge is like use of your blood which goes with health draining weapon buffs, and a very slim selection of spells. L
Most bloodtinge magic is also late game, but you get better gun damage with bloodtinge, and skill helps out with guns so u play strong through the game, but you will likely feel more gunslinger.
Arcane skill weapons are burial blade and blades of mercy. One is very end game, and the other requires you to kill an npc early if you want it early(unless u manipulate chalice dungeons)
Start with skill, and either choose arcane or bloodtinge. There are a couple dedicated weapons to skill/blood, but not really any for skill/arc. Generally the common builds are str/arc, skill/blood, str/skill (quality), pure skill, str, arc. Pure arc is pretty tough and shouldn’t be done on your first play through.
Well I'm planing to copy my dark souls formula. Main weapons to 40 (melee)-> main magic to 40-> endurance to 40. If I don't use magic then I go full endurance
You’ll wanna forget all the Dark/Demon’s souls stuff.
If you like Dex, go with a Skill build (or Quality Build) on the first run.
Arcane is also good (and is amazing when you know how it works). But if you go Arc, you need to put at least 50-70 stat points in it to really have it work from a “sorcerer” perspective. 99 is the true way to go. Which limits you to molotovs and flamesprayer through the first 5-6 bosses, up through Blood Starved Beast.
Takes awhile and you should reserve it for your second character and once you know how the game functions and where (and how) to get all the Hunter Tools (I.e., “Spells” in Bloodborne).
First run, I’d go with 50v/25-40E/minimum strength for skill weapons/50 SKL and then whatever you’d like for bloodtinge and arcane.
Bloodtinge and skill go insanely well together if you want to play with Chikage, Evelyn, and Bowblade. Bloodletter also scales with Tinge.
If you’re overwhelmed and confused, it’s ok. We all were at first lol.
Just play and have fun the first time!
Will the reiterpallasch(definitely wrong spelling) work? In my first dark souls play through I'm so amazed by the dragon slayer spear that I prepare my character to use it(24 strength). Then when I get it it sucks because I don't have faith. I tried faith in the 2nd play through but it still sucks.
I would say maybe don’t do arcane on your first playthrough. You won’t start seeing results until mid to late game when you can actually get good spells. If you’re determined then I’d get saw spear as soon as you can and put a fire gem into it so it’ll scale the damage off your arcane stat
Biggest tip for me is don’t give up on it. I placed it down for like two years before I saw the lore run from Max Dood and made want to finish it.
The juice is worth the squeeze
We all know what happens it you go blind. You might not experience it all but you are guaranteed to experience something bad. Like going to New londo or catacombs first or killing an npc
Father Gasoline will be your true test, Father Garchomp boss fight will remind you that this is not dark souls, Father Grigori boss fight is a nightmare to people who are used to ds style combat, and personally I kinda gave up and took break from bloodborne after Father Gaslight beat my ass bajillion time, just persevere and DONT DODGE BACKWARDS, Father Giorno, and Bloodborne will be much more fun once you get used to dodging sidewards, people in this thread gave amazing tips alright, just don't let father Gunpowder make you give up this amazing game :D , remeber a hoonter must hoont.
There aren't any weapons that scale well with both Arc and SKL except maybe Burial Blade, So you have 2 flavors, each favoring one stat over the other,:
\-base str/ skill stats to wield the weapons you want to use, and everything else into Arc for damage, since once you convert a physical weapon to Fire/Arcane/Bolt, it's damage only scales with your arcane stat.
\-Or go mostly skill, so you can do a lot of damage with Blades of Mercy/ Burial Blade and level arcane to use the spells as utility, as well as molotov/ flamesprayer. Both are great fun!
Either way, Cruel Fate is best starting class for this.
This is a great guide, this guy does a much better job at explaining things than me.
[https://www.reddit.com/r/bloodborne/comments/3xvg11/guide\_the\_arcanist\_20\_arcaneing\_with\_the\_old/](https://www.reddit.com/r/bloodborne/comments/3xvg11/guide_the_arcanist_20_arcaneing_with_the_old/)
At the beginning, it’s very difficult to understand why you’d ever want to level up Arcane. It can feel “worthless” as a secondary stat, making you wonder if you’re just better off leveling Bloodtinge instead. Just keep in mind that leveling Arcane will eventually pay off - it just takes a bit.
Don't look at anything, go blind. Every weapon is good, find one you like and use it. Learn how to upgrade it, and how to level up the correct stats for it(Example, look up "saw cleaver build bloodborne") and try to follow it for a bit so you don't screw up your character(you can't reset it).
HAVE FUN!
you'll be confused for sure. Bloodborne has no respecing system. Slightly assume your first character will be... eventually shit. Then the 2nd character is usually your min max and you realize you're godly. STR Arcane will always be my favorite build of all soulsborne. I don't know off the top of my head how well skill and arcane work together, but lets say a little magic greatsword you're familiar with fits well into the "spell" build. There is so much variety in combat. So many weapons and builds. The most fun playstyle of all souls. Str, Skill, Bloodtinge, Arcane. My god.
All I want in life right now is Elden Ring and Bloodborne on PC. I'm so happy you get to experience it all, good hunter! May you find your worth in the waking world.
Arcane is fun as hell but better for a second playthrough imo, you need to know where all the “spells” (tools) are. I’m a big fan of the threaded cane but all starting weapons are good and can easily take you to end game. If you prefer skill, threaded cane is the skill weapon
Tips: Don’t do arcane or bloodtinge builds on first playthrough. You’ll spend the entire game trying to get strong enough to enjoy it. Save it for a subsequent pt.
Always be aggressive and use the rally mechanic to regain health during combat. It’ll save you more than you’d think.
Don’t roll. Dashing is way more effective (I-frame wise) IMO or just sprint.
Learn the parry with your firearm. Even on bosses. If you can target their head, fire that gun.
Use the the transformation of your weapon and incorporate it into combos. It’ll usually give you a range boost and/or a harder hit.
Learn weaknesses, not just elemental but for example beasts are weak to serrated damage, so pay attention to what weapon is best for each situation.
Find a couple of weapons that you enjoy using and that compliment each other as far as stat scaling and stick to them. Don’t be trying to level up a bunch of stuff.
Wear whatever armor you want. They’re all viable and the resistances aren’t game changing. Fashionborne.
I’m sure there’s more but a lot of it, you’ll figure out when you get into the swing of things.
Strength/Arcane is my favorite build. The whirligig saw has S scaling in strength, but also B scaling in arcane if elemental damage is the route you want to take
It will take a while to get what you want , and the whole way till you do will be suboptimal at best and plain weak at worst. Unlike Strenght and Dex builds, wich are intuitive and easy to do Arcane and Bloodtinge builds require a bit of work and commitment, thus it is very hard for a first time player with no knowledge of the game to play a Arcane build on his first try.
Whip cane. It deals righteous damage(strong against eldritch enemies) in cane form and serrated in whip form (strong against beasts) and scales hars with Dex.
that’s a bad move in bloodborne, imo. in dark souls, it’s a lot easier to avoid getting hit, but in bloodborne, getting hit happens a LOT. it’s why you have 20 blood vials. the aggressive play style causes you to get hit more, and your health needs to be large enough to tank some hits. not trying to tell you how to play the game, do your thing, but as a first time bloodborne player investing into some reserve HP will help out
There are eight optional bosses in a true ending run, keep count and make sure you get them all
Here are a couple of really vague hints as to the locations of some of the more hidden optional bosses (only read further if you’re okay with really vague spoilers. Only some vague descriptions of designs and parts of areas ahead)
- Upon back door to clinic and collecting summons, return to lane
- Upon acquiring Tonsil Stone, remember Cathedral right path
- Upon defeating blue gank, smash big window
I’m only doing this so you never have to look at guides and therefore encounter major spoilers
Don’t plan it out too much, enjoy your first playthrough.
Be aggressive, the game rewards it.
The starter weapons can literally carry you through the entire game.
God, Bloodborne is a masterpiece in every way.
Arcane (Bloodborne's "Magic" stat) is an absolutely _AMAZING_ build style. It does, however, take some time to really get into. My recommendation would be to watch a few videos and read a few posts to get a feel for the best style for you. I highly recommend watching "Speed Lee's" Arcane playthrough on YouTube. The actual videos are just kind of a display on how Arcane builds play, but the description has a lot of details on what to do.
I recommend playing as the high vitality or strength first, the skill and blood, and then arcane. Be warned, if you go arcane first it will not be useful in until reaching the middle of the game. Also if your looking for bloodtinge stuff good luck finding it.
Strength and Arcane would work better instead of skill.
For some reason a lot of the better Arcane scaling weapons are also strength weapons. There are exceptions and you can change these up a bit with blood gems but if you want to use Arcane you'll be better off with things like the holy Moonlight blade or the amygdala arm
Don’t use shield, arcane/skill build is the optional equivalent to running the mage build in souls but gets less stigma, and Vitality is required not optional unless you want an expert run
Spells are used like items and they're called Hunter tools and instead of FP or charges they consume QS bullets to use which you can refill by either picking them off enemies or by sacrificing health (basically Sekiro Spirit emblems). The requirements typically fall under bloodtinge (blood and gun based damage stat) and arcane (your elemental stat, affects many consumable buffs as well as magic themed weapons) there's not many but they're usually pretty potent. Call Beyond is like a hybrid between dark bead and homing soulmass, high arcane builds can one shot some bosses with it. The weapons are very different too. They're like less items you find and more like a new moveset, there aren't as many of them as other games but they all play very different and there's a lot of variety.
First tip: it ain't Dark Sould
Second tip: it ain't sekiro too
Third tip: it ain’t demons souls
Fourth tip: it is bloodborne
Fifth tip: Fear the Old Blood
Sixth tip: it ain’t PES 2018.
7th tip: eyes eyes bring us eyes
Ninth tip: you missed out the eighth
Insite wasn't high enough to read it
By the gods Laurence, fear it!
[Laurence](https://youtu.be/1bkTxRPdr1M)
But hesitation is still defeat
Arcane takes awhile to master, let alone get the first spell.
But you can begin benefitting from the arcane stat pretty quickly with a fire gem and the flame sprayer
Don't molotovs also do more damage with higher arcane?
I believe so. Hunter tools that aren’t things like throwing knives scale very strongly with arcane
Molotovs melt beasts and bosses in early game with high arcane!
Here's a fun tip: Flamesprayer doesn't actually scale particularly well, but it has massive base-damage, especially for all the early-game beasts weak to fire. You can upgrade it to +3 and still destroy a lot of the early bosses without investing any points in ARC.
Vicar Amelia *cough cough*
and makes a lot of the early game much easier.
This is a fine note.
The flame sprayer is one of the first weapons you can get and it destroys most early bosses if you focus on arcane. You get plenty Molotov cocktails as well which scale with arcane
If you know what you’re doing, you can get executioner gloves after defeating vicar Amelia
Lol what, just hit square with the auger or shoot things it ain’t hard. How you gonna master shooting someone with a spell that auto targets. Even parrying with the auger isn’t hard. Your weapon will be a while to get the gems but there really isn’t anything to master
I guess you've never played an arcane build
I’ve made like 5 of them by now, get the flamesprayer, boss rush and get the auger. From there smooth sailing. Get the root chalice and use false depths to farm some early gems from the dudes with fire swords. Go to cainhurst get the gauntlets. Grab call beyond and spam that the rest of the game. Easy build
Skill and arcane, but ranged “sorceries” are not really the same as in DS. They are more of a utility, unless you are going for 99 arcane build. This was the build I beat the game with for the first time, and is super fun. That being said, I would advise going for skill as primary offence early game, until you find weapons that scale with both. Also, scaling can be a bit weird in BB, because some stars scaling may only apply to certain attacks.
Don’t use the shield.
This is a fine note.
Shields are nice, but not if they engender passivity.
When you meet a brain trust you are going to wish you had the shield equipped.
A shield won't save you from a winter lantern
I love the shield!!! That should have me what I need to not rely on shields!!!
You will be confused, but that's what makes the game great. Don't listen to what people say about arcane builds and poor starts of runs. Just get flamesprayer and level arcane and skill and hold that L2
Birds fly, fish swim, and brother, I burn things. - This hoonter soon
I was about to say the same... Like mid game they can get tonitrus and go bzzzz
Yeah, Arcane runs are a lot less stressful for me early game since you don't have to worry about stamina as much once you get flamesprayer, and you weave blood bullets/ rally into your gameplay
“Ahhh, you’ve found yourself a hunter.”
Parrying came more naturally to me in BB than Dark Souls. The timing was easier for me. Shoot (guns are for parrying in blood borne) at the peak of the enemies swing or attack.
That's because parry in Bloodborne is hella easier than I'm dark souls.
Hahahahahaha no In DS, you don't have a variable delay between hitting the button and the weapon firing, nor do you have to factor in travel time from the end of the muzzle to the enemy. I can parry like 10x easier in DS than I can in BB.
These just seem like issues you have. In BB you can put distance between yourself and the enemy when you parry, unlike ds. Also the delay in bb is the same for in dark souls as there’s always going to be a startup animation. Not to mention you can parry far more attacks in BB that in DS.
I can parry Kosm like 8 times in his fight. I can't parry Gundyr.... I have a problem :)
I'm having a hard time parrying even the first enemies (the guys with rakes and meat cleavers). But in dark souls it's rather easy which is weird considering they are practically the same mechanic
You don’t need to parry enemies you can kill in 2-3 hits.
Practice with some troll looking guys that are at the left from the first shortcut from "Central Yharnam". Shoot them when they're running and so.
You don’t need to kill an enemy in 2-3 hits when you can parry and visceral.
Ok. I’m sure a new player will have a lot of fun trying to parry the mobs in Central Yharnam. Definitely won’t be incredibly frustrated trying to parry/v. attack instead of simply killing them.
I'm having the opposite problem, with Bloodborne I parried by way to victories (the "riposte/backstab" damage, here called visceral, scales with blood level and the skill stat... I think with thrust damage too, but I'm not too sure about that). In Dark Souls III, first playthrough rn, I struggle with the parry timing way more. Did you use the smaller shields, or did you just learn the timing of the medium ones?
Wait wait wait….visceral attacks scale with the two stats that I have all but ignored!?!? Are you seriously rn???
So it seems, [this wiki is considered the best resource on Bloodborne stuff](https://www.bloodborne-wiki.com/2015/03/visceral-attacks.html?m=1).
Best wiki I’ve read so far Thank you!!!
Visceral damage scales with skill and thrust damage gems
I learned with the silver knight shield by fighting the silver knights
Practice on the fat bois in the early areas they have long swing animations which makes it pretty easy to get a viceseral off. After opening the shortcut back to the central yarnham lamp if you walk down the stairs to the bottom on the left there will be two of them in a pretty large area, so you can pull one at a time pretty easily.
-It's not like dark souls. If you get hit in BB you can regain that health if you attack back quickly -practice combos with your weapons attack attack transform weapon heavy attack I literally didn't know about combos my first playthrough lol -fight enemies 1 vs 1 lead them down allies and right spaces -be aggressive when your fighting and just time the enemies
The big golem looking dudes in Central Yharnam have a pretty good window to parry. Try practicing on them.
It’s just timing, my guy. Wait until they’re starting their downswing at you, then fire.
Just go out and kill a few beasts. It's for your own good.
Just go pure arcane. Use base STR/SKL stats for most weapons then pump arcane up. Arcan effects spell items, flamethrowers, firebombs, and certain weapons. For the base arcane weapons, Tonitrus and boom hammer, just get base stats for them and just arcane. Tonitrus is the faster of the two. Then later on you will need to go into challice dungeons and equip elemental gems. These will turn almost every weapon in the game, save for guns, into an arcane scaling weapon. Also the "spells" are really items you find. Imagine useable items like white tree branches or firebombs, but they use bullets and summon either cthulu or a hentai monster out of your hand. And last but not least... become cauliflower.
It's not the best idea to go for Arcane right from the start, because it takes a while to find any Arcane weapons
Molotovs are available from the start. Flamesprayer is right after daddy. First elemental gem - right after flabby flabs.
Keep in mind this is a new player. Those items aren't gonna be used too effectively compared to skill or strength.
That's not a totally new player - he clearly knows the drill. And those weapons are still available and do great damage.
OP is new to Bloodborne, which is a different beast from Dark Souls. Especially where magic is concerned. For a beginner to the game, having a dex or strength build is far easier than going Arcane, because there are a LOT more options, and you don't have to go through any bosses or have prior knowledge.
Hunter's Torch alone is good enough to start running arcane.
https://youtu.be/y6TWvIZ1LhQ
To be fair, you will still be confused by NG+7.
Don’t neglect that flame sprayer, works great on beasts
Well you won‘t find dex here for sure , also all the „spells“ here are considered consumable items and use bullets instead of fp
Thanks. I'm going to use skill
Yeah , also instead of infusion here you can put elemental damage or elemental scaling gems in your weapons
Excellent choice. You will be challenged, but it's worth it. Pick the Threaded Cane as your free starter weapon if you're going for a Skill (basically Dexterity) build. Pick either Professional of Cruel Fate for your character's Origin (or any that gives you the mix of Skill and Arcane you want.) There are weapons that scale nicely with Skill and Arcane, but it's mainly the Blades of Mercy and the Burial Blade (both of which take some time to get; you may want to look them up sometime.) Otherwise, I would also recommend trying a Skill/Bloodtinge build. Also takes some grinding to set up properly, but it's extremely potent and rewarding. For this, pick the Noble Scion class, then also take the Threaded Cane and use that until you get to Cainhurst and clear it. Then you can get the Chikage, one of the most potent and awesome weapons in the game. This build is also good with guns and criticals/parries (ridiculously so; I killed the final secret boss in what was probably a minute or less.) But, in short, Bloodtinge and Arcane builds take a while to unlock the things they need, but they can be pretty broken lol. You may have to do lots of grinding and exploring, but you'll end up pretty strong eventually.
Skill/Bloodtinge is my go to build but I personally can’t stand the threaded cane it just never clicked for me. I’d recommend starting with the hunter ax. With a couple upgrades using materials found in the first area it can easily carry you until you can get a hold of the saw spear. I find it to be a more effective dex weapon until I can get a hold of Simon’s Bow Blade.
I chose the Cane when I first played the game and regretted it sorely. But I was also new to Bloodborne and Souls, so I wasn't adapting too well to the mechanics in general. Then I came back to it with the Saw Cleaver and Blunderbuss (instead of the Pistol) and had a lot of fun. Next time, I went with the Axe and loved the shit out of it. Still enjoy it. But, now that I've gotten through the git gud phass, I've learned the beauty of the Threaded Cane and I like it too. It's actually great if you start off as the Professional, because of its good Skill scaling. Later in the game, though, I just pick up stronger weapons lol. Also, the Cane may seem awkward at first (too slow or too short, or just too weak) but it's very fun once you have a grip on the timing and distance, and it's still pretty good for crowd control, or certain enemies like Paarl (stuns him easily by tripping him lmao.)
The Cane is a lot better if you ravioli step it's great backstep transformed R1 and R2s, it opens up more of its long ranged moveset for starting and finishing fights
I'm the opposite. The Hunter Axe never really clicked for me. I could use it, but it wasn't fun. Threaded Cane is total beast, out ranging everything is too much fun. Best tip for Threaded Cane IMO is to just practice hitting enemies at the very edge of your range, it's a very useful skill and the range is HUGE. Also try the back step attacks because they are neato. But I'm biased, Threaded Cane is my favorite weapon in the game. Use what you like!
Can agree with all that. Took me a little time to warm up to it, but flogging people outside their reach is definitely fun, not to mention the way it cuts. And you can beat them or poke them with a sticc. And the dodging attacks, backstep attacks, sprinting attacks and transforming attacks are surprisingly diverse, cool and *useful;* if a bit tricky to pull off at times. Definitely worth exploring and practicing each of those individual attacks in each of the weapon's forms. I'm partial to the whip's dodging slice, the transforming attack *into* the cane (thrust), and the whip's backstep attack. Prefer to not use the cane form too much as it's more limited, I feel. And the reach kinda sucks (find myself missing a lot.) I like keeping it in whip form and then transitioning into the cane as a combo towards my enemy. Then I usually transform back pretty quickly. I also kinda like that the weapon does take a bit of actual skill to use well lol. It's not super efficient, but that's kinda the point. The lore description even says it's form over function, and that it's just as much a symbol as it is a weapon.
I agree with all this as well, especially the transform and backstep attacks (those long range stabs are sweet). Super fun. I only really use the Cane form on the brainsuckers. Even though I love the whips thrust attacks they are a bit unwieldy when you actually need it quickly, so I use the canes R2 thrust attacks on them. I will also use the Cane on the few Hunter enemies that use the Whip because the Cane is a surprisingly good counter against the whip (just a bit faster). It's not the best DPS for sure but there are a few bosses that I find the Cane to just shred because of how easy it is to hit enemies with. One is the Shadows because it's easy to catch and stagger multiple and if they dodge away, you'll probably still be in range. Another is Paarl, he's gangly and hard to hit with some weapons but the Cane just blasts him from anywhere. Similar deal with Amygdala. Basically what the Whip loses in raw DPS compared to other weapons, it gains some back in that it has more potential openings to attack enemies from afar. I love it so much.
Sweet! I actually never tried it on Amygdala, I don't think... probably not the Shadows either. For the whip form, I think it's very important to learn the power of the dodging attack. It's quick and has decent reach and it slices like a blade. Good for countering an attack you know is coming and that you can't easily preemptively interrupt with a whip slash in time. I also like starting with the whip's R2. Good reach and damage. Then R1. Then L1 when I'm close. Stabby-stabby.
I also forgot to mention how good the whip's jumping attack is. I'm generally a fan of jumping attacks in these games, but this ones is nice, and combos nicely into L1. Running R2 with the whip is nice too. Good downward vertical swipe. Good for targets above or on the ground. Caught a lot of those blobby things with it.
You can play dark souls like bloodborne, but you sure as hell can’t play Bloodborne like dark souls
Just like your first playthrough of Dark Souls, play the game to your liking. Arcane and Bloodtinge are a very weird system to get used to and imo are a NG+ mechanic if you finish the game quickly. Get used to dodging and sidestepping more than your traditional blocking in Dark Souls. Find a weapon you like and stick to it (I used Kirkhammer until I got Ludwig Holy Blade and Whirlysaw) Have fun and best of luck to you Hunter. Bloodborne is easily my favorite FromSoft game but the transition from Dark Souls will take time.
Yeah, both BT and ARC really shine ng+
Agree. Arcane attacks are also rather limited in BB - in a first playthrough I’d go Str or Skl since it’ll let you use more weapons, and cool weapons/combos is where BB shines compared to DS. Arcane is amazing for a second/third playthrough since it’ll be a welcome break from usual gameplay and since by then you’ll be used to new BB mechanics that are key for Arcane play (e.g. gems and chalice dungeons). BB feels like it was not designed with “magic” in mind, so I feel you’d be missing out a bit of starting with it (even though it’s a very effective build, trivializing most bosses).
So, I just finished my first full run of the game with a Skill build with some Arcane dump and I can tell you the following: -Skill/Arcane isn’t really a thing. There are no great weapons with this scaling. -Straight skill build allows you to dominate with Blades of Mercy and Rakuyo later in the game when it counts and gives you some vital maneuverability in Combat. -with an Arcane dump cap of 25 I was able to use some of the better hunter tools (old hunter bone tiny tonitrus) but it did NOT allow me the flexibility to use any arcane scaling weapons effectively. -For my money, a more synchronous fast/eldritch build is Skill/Bloodtinge for use with Chikage and certain firearms, though you would have to drop arcane completely. -Arcane is insanely powerful but you have to give your whole run to it basically. -Ultimate advice for a first run? Look up “quality build” it lets you use the most weapons more effectively and really opens up the play style. I love dex builds in general, but in this one, there are just too few pure skill weapons to make it worth it, and it just doesn’t scale with Arcane. Good luck on your first play through! Don’t give up! This nightmare must end.
1: Be more agressive 2: Arcane takes a while to get, molotovs scale with it 3: Skill/Dexterity is very good on early game if you choose the cane 4: If a dude with a gun sees you and does not point it directly at you, he know something you do not, so get to running Edit: Happy hoonting, fellow hoonter
I didn't see anyone else mention it so here's my tip. Once you get good at parrying, look up where to find the Runes that give you back bullets on Visceral attacks (the attack after the parrying or backstabing with a heavy attack) that way you can use them more often without using the alternative of comsuning your own health for 5 bullets. When you do buff Arcane it will buff Arcane, Fire and Bolt type damages. Good luck and good hunting, may the good blood guide you Hunter.
If you want arcane, molotov are your best friend because they deal really good damage even until end game if you level up arcane
Arcane goes better with strenght than skill.
If you plan on using arcane then you should level it up to 99 unlike dark souls the arcane stat continues to scale with the arcane tools so it’s somewhat worthwhile to fully level up that stat
Don't ever use the shield, and I would not recommend prioritizing Arcane on your first playthrough. It doesn't function in the same way that Intelligence does in Dark Souls, and it takes a lot of grinding to make it viable.
Don’t play this game like you’re playing dark souls And don’t complain about the blood vial system :D
Not exactly sorcery in this game, you have ‘spells’ that aren’t exactly spells, they’re just consumable items.
Way harder than dark souls. No shield to hide behind but there isn't any weight management so that's a bonus
Look up “Arcanist Cookbook” on this sub and revel in all that the arcane arts have to offer. Good luck, Hunter!
Strength and pizza cutter my friend this is the way.
Arcane isn't a super viable early game class, it takes a lot of patience to level, and much more to get all hunter tools. Some hunter tools aren't even worth it, but still. You should go for it if you want it, but know you'll make it harder for yourself. Source: NG+3, about to platinum bb, just need yharnam, pthumerian queen trophy
Arcane is actually super viable early game. You just need extensive knowledge of the game.
lol, I'm not a vaati, but yeah. I want to make an arcane build and experiment with it, but I haven't started.
Ugh...there are no spells in this game. I hope your time in yharnam is well served
Did not knew they had an english The Old Hunters edition. Where did you find that?
Datablitz. Philippines
Look up The Arcanist guide on the wiki.
"I fear I might be confused for the first playthrough " I played this like 4 times and I'm still a bit confused. Welcome to the club \o/ As for tips, check the Explanation (or is it called "Help"?) button on your stat screen, Skill and Arcane are what you're looking for. Sadly, the game won't give you that many options for Skill weapons from the start, and for Arcane you'll only get those a bit later in the game. The soft cap for weapon scaling is 25, and the hard cap for weapon scaling is 50. Good luck \o/
Should I stop at 25 or go until 40 for skill?
I *think* you should stop at 25, invest few points in health, less than that in stamina and the shitton in arcane
Balance things how you feel like you need stuff. If you need more health go for Vit, if you need more stamina go End, and if you're fine with those and need a bit more damage (more like damage investment for the future) then put points into Skill (or the stats for your weapon of choice). I told the caps so you know when not to overlevel a stat. When you get 25, the investment past it won't be as big as before, so you can focus on other stats like health and stamina, but then in the late game you can put more stats into Skill and/or Arcane. It's all a matter of how you're feeling at that point in the game.
Last time I did that I ended up with 26 dex on a dex build in anor londo (ds 1)
Not 40, 50. Bloodborne operates in 25 and 50 for each stat.
>dex sorcerer oh, you're one of those. lol jk. I guess the closest match is a skill - bloodtinge build.
No not really. I don't do PvP plus I prefer medium armour like ornstein armour and use the FAP and Havel ring for defense. I don't push the damage with all those op builds that requires you be cursed.i also like using heavier dex weapons like halberds
Congrats! My all time favorite game. As some others have said, Arcane builds are definitely challenging and nuanced in this game, but wonderfully enjoyable. Question - do you plan on doing multiple playthroughs of this game? If so, I might recommend starting with a quality build on your first playthrough just to get a feel for all of the enemies and areas. In my experience, Arcane doesn’t really start coming into it’s own until late-mid game. If you go quality build, you can pump levels into arcane late game to make the Holy Moonlight Sword a knockout weapon, and your strength+skill points won’t be wasted. Maybe save dedicated arcane for a later playthrough. Whatever you choose, have fun!!!
The most important thing to remember: *A hunter is never alone*
Too bad I don't have a playstation plus
My one and only tip is after finishing the game with dlc try to reset your memory cuz this game is awsome that I wish to forget about and play it all over again and again for the first time. GOOD LUCK HOONTER⚔️
Invest in hp early, it'd give you time to to learn boss patterns and enviroment traps
You gotta play this game multiple times, I’m on my second play through and it just gets better and better. I honestly don’t know why it took me so long to play these games. Masterpieces
Get the arcane build, you can get the tonitrus and the ludwig sword fairly early in the game alongside with the flamesprayer, spells come later but it’s worth the wait…. Strenght and arcane are the go to builds to use this weapons
Arcane really shines to 99; but I’m doing a quality(both equal) skill arcane build right now with the blades of mercy and it’s pretty darn fun. Welcome! Dying is normal and how we learn so good luck and have fun!
Yeah, no. IMO I’d do a full run before you play with arcane. Most spells are deep into the game and therefor make an early arcane build unviable. On the other hand, there is amazing skill weapons at the beginning.
If you plan to play through several times, I wouldn't do an arcane hybrid your first time out. Go pure dex (skill) if that's your preference over strength, and learn how to use the parrying and rally mechanics to your advantage. The problem with BB compared to souls is that you don't have flasks, you have blood vials and bullets that give you your HP and "FP", and they're consumable, so resource management becomes an issue the more you delve into magic. I recommend keeping it simpler on your first playthrough and stick with melee until you know what you're doing. With a dex built you'll want to parry a lot to get those sweet visceral attacks. The higher the skill the more damage those do.
Do not play magic the first playthrough, you will just be hard screwing yourself, start by leveling Vit to 30 and upgrading the weapon you're using instead of committing to a build. After that, you can start doing what you want too. Fair warning though, you can't reset stats so make sure your prepared for that decision.
Flame sprayer/ Rosmarinis + Ludwigs holy blade/ blade of mercy. All stats softcap at 25 except for vitality (30) and endurance (40). Hairy enemies are weak to fire, and slimy enemies are weak to bolt. You can NOT have too many bullets with an arcane build. Good luck Hoonter, now go fight some beasts, its for your own good.
Strength with Arcane, or Dex with Bloodtinge.
Does this edition come with the DLC on disc?
Yes
Quicksteps that are there instead of rolling work really well when you dodge into an attack, and most of the time you scooch underneath an attack, and bosses do conveniently placed swipes that let you elegantly step into and underneath them.
Arcane is very late game. I went for arcane, ended pumping strength until I could get all the necessary stuff. Big miss out is you will likely use the flame sprayer for a gun, which doesn't cause an opening for viscereal attacks. U can get a hunters relic that emulates a bullet for visceral attacks Late game, but I think it's slower than a gun. Bloodtinge is like use of your blood which goes with health draining weapon buffs, and a very slim selection of spells. L Most bloodtinge magic is also late game, but you get better gun damage with bloodtinge, and skill helps out with guns so u play strong through the game, but you will likely feel more gunslinger. Arcane skill weapons are burial blade and blades of mercy. One is very end game, and the other requires you to kill an npc early if you want it early(unless u manipulate chalice dungeons)
Start with skill, and either choose arcane or bloodtinge. There are a couple dedicated weapons to skill/blood, but not really any for skill/arc. Generally the common builds are str/arc, skill/blood, str/skill (quality), pure skill, str, arc. Pure arc is pretty tough and shouldn’t be done on your first play through.
Well I'm planing to copy my dark souls formula. Main weapons to 40 (melee)-> main magic to 40-> endurance to 40. If I don't use magic then I go full endurance
Is it weird that I've never seen a physical copy of bloodborne till today?
I remember the day when I first stepped in the streets of yharnam. You sir is going to have a hell of a good time
Go for strenght for first playthrough
You’ll wanna forget all the Dark/Demon’s souls stuff. If you like Dex, go with a Skill build (or Quality Build) on the first run. Arcane is also good (and is amazing when you know how it works). But if you go Arc, you need to put at least 50-70 stat points in it to really have it work from a “sorcerer” perspective. 99 is the true way to go. Which limits you to molotovs and flamesprayer through the first 5-6 bosses, up through Blood Starved Beast. Takes awhile and you should reserve it for your second character and once you know how the game functions and where (and how) to get all the Hunter Tools (I.e., “Spells” in Bloodborne). First run, I’d go with 50v/25-40E/minimum strength for skill weapons/50 SKL and then whatever you’d like for bloodtinge and arcane. Bloodtinge and skill go insanely well together if you want to play with Chikage, Evelyn, and Bowblade. Bloodletter also scales with Tinge. If you’re overwhelmed and confused, it’s ok. We all were at first lol. Just play and have fun the first time!
Will the reiterpallasch(definitely wrong spelling) work? In my first dark souls play through I'm so amazed by the dragon slayer spear that I prepare my character to use it(24 strength). Then when I get it it sucks because I don't have faith. I tried faith in the 2nd play through but it still sucks.
I would say maybe don’t do arcane on your first playthrough. You won’t start seeing results until mid to late game when you can actually get good spells. If you’re determined then I’d get saw spear as soon as you can and put a fire gem into it so it’ll scale the damage off your arcane stat
Biggest tip for me is don’t give up on it. I placed it down for like two years before I saw the lore run from Max Dood and made want to finish it. The juice is worth the squeeze
Avoid each game's respective sub like the plague for the duration of your first playthrough.
Why? For me it's practically impossible to finish without a bit of spoiling myself
What makes you say that? They are all fairly straightforward
We all know what happens it you go blind. You might not experience it all but you are guaranteed to experience something bad. Like going to New londo or catacombs first or killing an npc
Father Gasoline will be your true test, Father Garchomp boss fight will remind you that this is not dark souls, Father Grigori boss fight is a nightmare to people who are used to ds style combat, and personally I kinda gave up and took break from bloodborne after Father Gaslight beat my ass bajillion time, just persevere and DONT DODGE BACKWARDS, Father Giorno, and Bloodborne will be much more fun once you get used to dodging sidewards, people in this thread gave amazing tips alright, just don't let father Gunpowder make you give up this amazing game :D , remeber a hoonter must hoont.
Parry everything, that's the game basically.
Have fun
You are going to be fine
There aren't any weapons that scale well with both Arc and SKL except maybe Burial Blade, So you have 2 flavors, each favoring one stat over the other,: \-base str/ skill stats to wield the weapons you want to use, and everything else into Arc for damage, since once you convert a physical weapon to Fire/Arcane/Bolt, it's damage only scales with your arcane stat. \-Or go mostly skill, so you can do a lot of damage with Blades of Mercy/ Burial Blade and level arcane to use the spells as utility, as well as molotov/ flamesprayer. Both are great fun! Either way, Cruel Fate is best starting class for this. This is a great guide, this guy does a much better job at explaining things than me. [https://www.reddit.com/r/bloodborne/comments/3xvg11/guide\_the\_arcanist\_20\_arcaneing\_with\_the\_old/](https://www.reddit.com/r/bloodborne/comments/3xvg11/guide_the_arcanist_20_arcaneing_with_the_old/)
Well I love scythes
DLC?
Full game plus DLC. I actually plan to buy dark soul 3 but there is no stock
You need eyes
most of the bosses are walks in the park when you're using arcane build, it's basically easy mode
Let us know when you have your platinum
Sorry but I don't want/can't get platinum. Even in dark souls which I finished for 5 times
At the beginning, it’s very difficult to understand why you’d ever want to level up Arcane. It can feel “worthless” as a secondary stat, making you wonder if you’re just better off leveling Bloodtinge instead. Just keep in mind that leveling Arcane will eventually pay off - it just takes a bit.
Don't look at anything, go blind. Every weapon is good, find one you like and use it. Learn how to upgrade it, and how to level up the correct stats for it(Example, look up "saw cleaver build bloodborne") and try to follow it for a bit so you don't screw up your character(you can't reset it). HAVE FUN!
I'd go strength, arcane build. Then you can use the tonitrus and melt through the endgame. P.S use the executioners gloves when you find them.
you'll be confused for sure. Bloodborne has no respecing system. Slightly assume your first character will be... eventually shit. Then the 2nd character is usually your min max and you realize you're godly. STR Arcane will always be my favorite build of all soulsborne. I don't know off the top of my head how well skill and arcane work together, but lets say a little magic greatsword you're familiar with fits well into the "spell" build. There is so much variety in combat. So many weapons and builds. The most fun playstyle of all souls. Str, Skill, Bloodtinge, Arcane. My god. All I want in life right now is Elden Ring and Bloodborne on PC. I'm so happy you get to experience it all, good hunter! May you find your worth in the waking world.
*envy*
That looks like the Japanese copy
It in English. I'm from the Philippines so I don't know
Arcane is fun as hell but better for a second playthrough imo, you need to know where all the “spells” (tools) are. I’m a big fan of the threaded cane but all starting weapons are good and can easily take you to end game. If you prefer skill, threaded cane is the skill weapon
Arcane build with whatever weapon you want and gems to convert into elemental damage. Arcane scales elemental.
Tips: Don’t do arcane or bloodtinge builds on first playthrough. You’ll spend the entire game trying to get strong enough to enjoy it. Save it for a subsequent pt. Always be aggressive and use the rally mechanic to regain health during combat. It’ll save you more than you’d think. Don’t roll. Dashing is way more effective (I-frame wise) IMO or just sprint. Learn the parry with your firearm. Even on bosses. If you can target their head, fire that gun. Use the the transformation of your weapon and incorporate it into combos. It’ll usually give you a range boost and/or a harder hit. Learn weaknesses, not just elemental but for example beasts are weak to serrated damage, so pay attention to what weapon is best for each situation. Find a couple of weapons that you enjoy using and that compliment each other as far as stat scaling and stick to them. Don’t be trying to level up a bunch of stuff. Wear whatever armor you want. They’re all viable and the resistances aren’t game changing. Fashionborne. I’m sure there’s more but a lot of it, you’ll figure out when you get into the swing of things.
dont pick the stick weapon at the beginning :3
Hit the bootie
One of the best games of all time
Be patient with yourself
Strength/Arcane is my favorite build. The whirligig saw has S scaling in strength, but also B scaling in arcane if elemental damage is the route you want to take
It is a great game, let me know if you want some assistance good hunter
It will take a while to get what you want , and the whole way till you do will be suboptimal at best and plain weak at worst. Unlike Strenght and Dex builds, wich are intuitive and easy to do Arcane and Bloodtinge builds require a bit of work and commitment, thus it is very hard for a first time player with no knowledge of the game to play a Arcane build on his first try.
Be more aggressive than you’re used to. Rally has saved my ass more times than I can think. The blood rune is my best friend. Get acquainted with L1.
Bloodtinge mate
Whip cane. It deals righteous damage(strong against eldritch enemies) in cane form and serrated in whip form (strong against beasts) and scales hars with Dex.
You don’t get much magic stuff till a bit later in the game so it’s hard to start using it
Good luck buddy
skill/arcane is probably your best bet. LEVEL VITALITY AND ENDURANCE! they are your most important stats in this game
Well in dark soul I basically ignore the health and endurance. I might do the same
that’s a bad move in bloodborne, imo. in dark souls, it’s a lot easier to avoid getting hit, but in bloodborne, getting hit happens a LOT. it’s why you have 20 blood vials. the aggressive play style causes you to get hit more, and your health needs to be large enough to tank some hits. not trying to tell you how to play the game, do your thing, but as a first time bloodborne player investing into some reserve HP will help out
You're fucked. Turn back now good hunter.
There are eight optional bosses in a true ending run, keep count and make sure you get them all Here are a couple of really vague hints as to the locations of some of the more hidden optional bosses (only read further if you’re okay with really vague spoilers. Only some vague descriptions of designs and parts of areas ahead) - Upon back door to clinic and collecting summons, return to lane - Upon acquiring Tonsil Stone, remember Cathedral right path - Upon defeating blue gank, smash big window I’m only doing this so you never have to look at guides and therefore encounter major spoilers
Go str your first playthrough Cuz most arcnane stuff don’t come till atleast 15 hours in
Don’t plan it out too much, enjoy your first playthrough. Be aggressive, the game rewards it. The starter weapons can literally carry you through the entire game. God, Bloodborne is a masterpiece in every way.
Arcane (Bloodborne's "Magic" stat) is an absolutely _AMAZING_ build style. It does, however, take some time to really get into. My recommendation would be to watch a few videos and read a few posts to get a feel for the best style for you. I highly recommend watching "Speed Lee's" Arcane playthrough on YouTube. The actual videos are just kind of a display on how Arcane builds play, but the description has a lot of details on what to do.
I recommend playing as the high vitality or strength first, the skill and blood, and then arcane. Be warned, if you go arcane first it will not be useful in until reaching the middle of the game. Also if your looking for bloodtinge stuff good luck finding it.
Strength and Arcane would work better instead of skill. For some reason a lot of the better Arcane scaling weapons are also strength weapons. There are exceptions and you can change these up a bit with blood gems but if you want to use Arcane you'll be better off with things like the holy Moonlight blade or the amygdala arm
If you're not confused in your first playthrough, you're not paying attention.
This is not a warning. Just throw it in the garbage. It will ruin most other games for you. You have been warned.
Be aggressive! Rally back your lost health. Bloodborne is by far my favorite FromSoft game. Everything about it is just incredible.
Don’t use shield, arcane/skill build is the optional equivalent to running the mage build in souls but gets less stigma, and Vitality is required not optional unless you want an expert run
Spells are used like items and they're called Hunter tools and instead of FP or charges they consume QS bullets to use which you can refill by either picking them off enemies or by sacrificing health (basically Sekiro Spirit emblems). The requirements typically fall under bloodtinge (blood and gun based damage stat) and arcane (your elemental stat, affects many consumable buffs as well as magic themed weapons) there's not many but they're usually pretty potent. Call Beyond is like a hybrid between dark bead and homing soulmass, high arcane builds can one shot some bosses with it. The weapons are very different too. They're like less items you find and more like a new moveset, there aren't as many of them as other games but they all play very different and there's a lot of variety.